The invention relates to a frypan lid and, more particularly, to a transparent lid for electric frying pans.
Various attempts have been made to manufacture a frypan lid which prevents grease or the like from spattering out over the area immediately surrounding the pan, while at the same time enabling one to view the contents of the pan. In Canadian Pat. No. 137,105, for instance, there is disclosed a frypan cover made in two sections, comprising a lower section adapted to rest on the frying pan and an upper section hingedly connected to the lower section. Both lower and upper sections are made of sheet metal. Whenever it is desired to give attention to the contents of the frying pan, the upper section may be swung back on the hinge to an open position, the lower section remaining on the frying pan to prevent the grease from spattering out over the stove and floor. Such cover thus requires manipulation in order to open the upper section for viewing and therefore does not allow one to view directly the contents of the pan.
It is also known to use frypan covers made wholly of heat resistant glass, such as PYREX (trademark). Such covers, although being transparent, are relatively heavy and easily breakable.
To Applicant's knowledge, it has never occurred to one skilled in the art to substitute a transparent plastic material for the heat resistant glass conventionally employed, since the transparent plastics which are economically available are known to deteriorate when placed in direct contact with the hot rim of a frypan in use, which may reach temperatures up to 450.degree. F.